


The Broken Piece

by lettersinpetals



Series: Lifetime [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Friends With Benefits, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Suna Rintarou-centric, Unrequited Love, background sakuatsu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27340021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lettersinpetals/pseuds/lettersinpetals
Summary: He should have listened to his instincts; maybe then, years of pain might have been avoided.But life can be really merciless sometimes. Days turned to nights, turned to months, turned to a year. And suddenly they were seventeen and none of them were in love with the right person.(Or: Suna Rintarou liked to act like he was above it all, but he thought perhaps he was the stupidest of them all.)
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Suna Rintarou, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou
Series: Lifetime [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982522
Comments: 65
Kudos: 431





	The Broken Piece

**Author's Note:**

> You know how this story ends, but here it is from a different set of eyes. Lots of AtsuSuna here, that's your final warning! Ngl I accidentally made myself ship them. Suna is now one of my absolute FAVES. He deserves to be happy!!! This is a retelling of A Thousand Cuts from Suna's POV. Might not go the way you were thinking. Won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I wanted to write it anyway, YOU CAN'T STOP ME

He asked Atsumu once, if he knew where it all went wrong. But Atsumu, surprisingly wise, just said, “There was no one thing. It was just a snowball that kept getting bigger until we didn’t know how to stop it. And it crushed everything in its path.”

He could see the merits in that kind of thinking. Pinpointing one exact moment was akin to claiming, “ _This_ is the grain of sand that made me trip and fall off a cliff.”

But him? He knew _exactly_ where things went wrong for him. It wasn’t when he watched Osamu and Kiyoomi kiss across a campfire during one cold, awful night. It wasn’t all the times he failed to ask, “Hey, Osamu, are you free after class?”

No, there was one mistake that irreversibly changed his life, and he had no one to blame but himself.

It was this:

“Hey, Tsumu. You’ve never kissed anyone, have you?”

Because it was one thing to be infatuated with his dashingly handsome classmate and teammate with the gray hair and the gray eyes.

It was another thing entirely to fall in love with his best friend.

**Chapter 1**

He saw Miya Atsumu first, but Miya Atsumu didn’t see him.

Even before coming to Inarizaki High School, he was already aware of the Miya twins and the boy who completed their trio, Sakusa Kiyoomi. He had watched them play during a match back in middle school, but he didn’t pay close attention. He simply analyzed their team dynamics, and proceeded to enjoy the match.

He didn’t think of them again, until he saw them on campus on his first day of high school.

It was early, and the bell had yet to ring. He was outside by the vending machine, having just grabbed some flavored milk, when he heard voices.

Approaching from a distance were Sakusa Kiyoomi and one of the Miya twins, he had no idea which. How were people supposed to tell them apart?

Other loitering students gave way as they neared, an understandable reaction. They were imposingly tall teenage boys with auras that just screamed _‘Move it.’_

“...many times do I have to tell you to stop drinking that crap?” the twin was saying.

Sakusa pouted and Rintarou immediately erased everything he ever assumed about him in his mind. He’d thought Sakusa seemed intimidating, but he’d clearly been wrong. Intimidating people don’t _pout_.

“But I like the fizzy yogurt milk thing, Atsu.”

 _Atsumu_ , he noted. Miya Atsumu. Where was the other one?

“Yeah, and that was fine before you seemingly became lactose intolerant the past year. We had to rush you to the damn _hospital_ , you really wanna go through that again?”

“That was only because I had too much in one sitting,” Sakusa insisted. “I had one the other day and I’m fine. Just get me one, _just one_.” Then he looked over and saw Rintarou. His eyes flicked away, dismissing him, and settled on the vending machine. He tugged at Atsumu’s sleeve and pointed. “There, that vendo has one. Get me the fizzy yogurt milk thingie, Atsu.”

Atsumu rolled his eyes but obeyed. He approached, not even glancing at Rintarou, who took a couple steps back when he came too close. He watched Atsumu insert some coins and press some buttons, before bending down to grab his friend’s drink.

Then he walked over to where Sakusa was waiting for him, handing it over. “Just the one.”

Sakusa plucked it out of his hand smugly, smirking, and if he’d seen that expression ten minutes ago, he would think that yeah, Sakusa Kiyoomi was intimidating. But his spoiled baby act already ruined the image for Rintarou. At that moment, he knew — those two were a duo with a dynamic that made sense only to them.

So where was the other one?

\--

The other one turned out to be in his classroom, sitting by the window and writing on a notebook.

Their classmates weren’t settled down yet; they were milling around, trying to make friends. Rinatrou approached the boy; he was the only one who dared. He wasn’t sure it was the sheer good looks or the bored expression that warded people away, but he knew he wasn’t the only one looking.

He leaned on the windowsill in front of him. “So, I saw another boy with a face just like yours outside.”

The boy looked up at him. “That would be my twin, Atsumu.” Then he smiled, just a small smile but it was warm, and Rintarou decided he liked this one better. “I’m Osamu.”

“First name basis already?” he couldn’t help but jab.

“I’m sure you already know my last name, Suna Rintarou.”

He flushed. Ah, so he knew about him.

“Middle blocker, right?” Osamu continued. “I think I watched one of your games. Are you joining the team?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Then I’ll see you there.” Osamu paused. “Did you say you saw Tsumu outside? Good, they’re not late, then.”

“Er, yeah, he was with Sakusa. Why weren’t you with them?”

“We walked here together, but Omi-kun saw a vending machine outside. I dunno, he wanted something. I didn’t wanna be late.”

“He was saying something about a… _fizzy milk drink thingie_.”

Osamu snorted. “Atsumu’s gonna kill him.”

“Nah, he got it for him.”

“Figures.”

They smiled at each other, and Rintarou decided it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

\--

Of course, it didn’t go that way at all. It was hard to pry Osamu away from their trio, which he learned was formed when they were about nine years old. Sakusa apparently came from Tokyo originally, and that made so much sense. He was standoffish and almost rude — it was clear he had a different upbringing than the twins. He did speak Kansai-ben, though, even though he didn’t really talk much.

But then something happened that seemed to crack the trio, the snowball that set everything in motion. Days of practice flew by without their usual bantering and teasing — there was no “Omi-Omi,” there was no walking home from school together, there was no roughhousing between the twins.

His curiosity was piqued. He found himself studying Atsumu, because of the three, he was usually the loudest. It was strange seeing him so quiet. Almost wrong.

When they were left alone to clean up in the gym one afternoon after practice, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Alright, what’s going on?” he asked.

Atsumu glanced at him like he’d forgotten he was there. “Huh?”

“The three of you are usually inseparable but now you’re not talking.”

“We’re just having a fight.”

“Hmm. Feels kinda different from your previous ones.”

Something spasmed in Atsumu’s face, and that surprised Rintarou. He supposed jerks have feelings, too. “Yeah,” Atsumu said in a defeated tone.

His heart went out to the dude. Now that he was looking at him up close, it was easy to see the damage. That was probably why he made sure to walk out of the school with him, bringing up lighter topics. Atsumu wasn’t that bad, he learned. He was fun to talk to, actually. He just had a strong personality, so he came across as abrasive at first.

So when Atsumu asked for his number so they could be friends, he gave it.

And _that_ was the start of a beautiful friendship.

And it _was_ beautiful, up until the very end.

**Chapter 2**

He could still remember the exact moment his heart latched on Osamu. He’d been stealing glances at him since the very first day — it was hard not to, he really was a looker, and he was courteous unlike his twin. He had dry humor that matched Rinatarou’s and when he teased him, it was gentle and conspiratorial. Rinatrou had seen him lose his temper at Atsumu during practice twice, but other than that, he was as easy-going as they came.

But it wasn’t until Osamu came to school sporting gray hair that he thought, _‘Damn, I’m gay.’_

He’d known he was gay since he was in grade school, but he didn’t really talk about it. He never even told his mother, who was entirely too traditional and strict. She seemed to know anyway; she carefully avoided any discussion about it. That was fine with him. He wasn’t close with his only living parent. She worked the night shift as a supervisor in a huge factory — they didn’t really see each other, and that was a relief.

So he never really dwelled on the whole _gay thing_. The world was getting more and more tolerant every day, and he felt no pressure in coming out.

But the gray hair and gray eyes combo refused to be ignored. He stared and stared and _stared_.

Apparently, the twins had roped Sakusa into bleaching their hair for them. Atsumu was now a tacky blonde, which he still managed to pull off. He supposed it did bring out the honey in his brown eyes. Rintarou wasn’t surprised that he looked good. His best friend could probably pull off anything, he just had that about him.

But _Osamu_ though. He was _handsome_. His mind kept circling back to him, it was driving him crazy.

Atsumu noticed, of course. And took delight in laughing at him about it.

He turned the tables on him by finally bringing up Atsumu’s crush on Sakusa. Because that’s what it had to be right? The sideways stares, the incessant teasing, the fond smiles? The way he was physically incapable of saying no to him?

Rintarou wasn’t sure when he figured it out. It was a sneaking realization that happened sometime between that first day by the vending machine and the day something in the trio shifted. It was in the way Atsumu was acting like an animal trying to hide an injury, and the way Sakusa was watching him like he wanted to reach out, but was too wary to.

Atsumu admitted to his feelings easily enough, because there really was no point in trying to deny it. He said that he didn’t want Sakusa to know because he didn’t feel the same. And then he said, “At least you have a chance with Samu.”

And Rintarou was no expert, but he thought Atsumu was wrong about those two statements.

Because while Sakusa watched Atsumu, Osamu watched Sakusa.

He should have listened to his instincts; maybe then, years of pain might have been avoided.

But life can be really merciless sometimes. Days turned to nights, turned to months, turned to a year. And suddenly they were seventeen and none of them were in love with the right person.

This was made clear when he and Atsumu had to watch Sakusa and Osamu kiss as a dare when he and the team went camping one night.

It was just a kiss. It was just a dare. He wasn’t surprised that Sakusa went for it; he wasn’t one to back away from a challenge. But he _was_ surprised by the way Osamu chased it. Like he wanted it, like he’d been wanting it.

Of course.

Why’d he insist on liking Miya Osamu? Sure, he was cute, he was nice, he was cool. He was easy to like. The easiest choice, in fact. Rintarou shouldn’t be surprised his heart went for him. But as he went home reeling from the unexpected pain, he thought his heart should have known better.

He wasn’t _stupid_. He’d known the twins liked Sakusa fucking Kiyoomi. He was their baby, and they treated him as such, as if he wasn’t over six feet tall and lording two inches over them. As if he didn’t have one of the most unpleasant personalities anyone had ever come across, as if he didn’t wield sharp words that could wound deeply if he wasn’t careful. As if he wasn’t the fussiest and single most difficult person Rintarou had ever _known_.

Was it because the twins spoiled him growing up? Was it the mysophobia? Was it his Tokyo upbringing? Rintarou didn’t know where he got off acting like some princess. He was entitled — to their time, to their attention, to their every breath. Sakusa Kiyoomi simply _had_ to be the priority at all times, and he couldn’t stand it when he wasn’t. He’d been looking at Rintarou in displeasure ever since he and Atsumu became close. He’d ignored it for the most part, but what the hell? Can’t Atsumu have any friends?

And then it struck him: _No, he can’t, because Sakusa considers Atsumu as his._

He mulled over this as he lay in bed, nursing his aching heart. Did Sakusa like Atsumu? His stomach clenched at the thought. What if he did?

It was easy to read the twins, but cracking Sakusa was near impossible. That poker face gave nothing away. Rintarou wanted to ask him what he knew, what he felt, what he thought. But they’d never been close, even though they all hung out together.

If Sakusa liked Atsumu, and Atsumu liked Sakusa...and Osamu also liked Sakusa…

His mind shied away from the disaster. He’d rather not think about it. Aside from Atsumu, he didn’t know how the trio truly felt.

All he knew was that there was no room for him there.

\--

But of course he had to do the stupid thing.

It was _that thing_ , that moment, that mistake that irreversibly changed his life. Because he was wrong, he was so wrong. He’d thought he was in love with Miya Osamu, but what did a seventeen-year-old know about love? Seventeen-year-old Suna Rintarou had no idea what it was like to be kissed within an inch of his life. He hadn’t known what it was like to make love to someone, to spend days intertwined with him talking in low breaths and laughing until his sides ached. Not until Miya Atsumu.

He’d daydreamed about doing all that with Osamu of course. But in reality, he ended up sharing those moments with Atsumu. All it took was a question (“Hey, Tsumu, you’ve never kissed anyone, have you?”), an answer (“No”), and a kiss.

It always started with a damn kiss. And it should have ended there, but it didn’t. He gave Atsumu his virginity that very day, and gladly too, because honestly, he could do a lot worse. But no, he wasn’t satisfied with just that either. He and Atsumu engaged in a hormone-fueled affair that lasted over half a year, but it felt like their pocket of eternity.

They never really talked about it and maybe they should have. But the thing is, it was so easy with Atsumu. They slipped from strangers to friends to lovers like one would slip into a hot bath. Eagerly, effortlessly, and with a hint of relief.

He fell in love with Miya Atsumu the exact same way.

**Chapter 3**

He didn’t realize it happening at first. Who’d ever love Miya Atsumu with eyes wide open and mind fully functioning? The boy was a menace.

But it wasn’t a complete accident. Falling in love with Miya Atsumu was like knowing a glass door was coming up somewhere but you misjudged and slammed face first into it anyway. You know, like an idiot.

Their first coupling could have been brushed off as a one-time thing, a direct consequence of the heartbreak caused by that cursed night by the campfire. But every other time since then was inexcusable.

It just felt _so damn good_. And if he had any doubts whether Sakusa liked Atsumu or not, they were swept away when he saw his face when he and Osamu walked in on them in the middle of the act. He looked like he’d just been impaled with a sword. Even Osamu looked shocked.

He supposed nobody saw this coming. Not even them.

But they couldn’t stop. They chased pleasure and learned each other’s bodies through most of that year. He would never think of 2013 the same way again. It would always just be a blur of wet lips, sweat-slicked bodies, and _Atsumu, Atsumu, Atsumu_.

There were clear moments in between the haze of pleasure. Like when Atsumu slipped a piece of sugary-sour candy in his mouth because “this is my favorite, you need to like it, too.” Or when Atsumu ran his fingers through Rintarou’s hair and said, “You’re pretty, even with weird hair.” Or one of the many nights they fell asleep together and Atsumu didn’t bother drawing a line between them, instead intertwining their legs together and tucking his face in Rintarou’s neck, murmuring, “Night, Rin.” Or the mornings Atsumu had to jump out his window before his mother came back, but not before giving Rintarou a roguish wink and a sweet kiss goodbye.

How was he supposed to fight it? Atsumu’s attention was intoxicating. He used to snort at people who fawned over him, wondering if they were blind because Osamu was _right there_ , and now he was one of them. It was a nightmare.

But there were moments where he thought it wasn’t that bad. Like when he and his mother had a fight because she saw the hickey on his neck, and Atsumu got so angry he’d threatened to go up to her and “give her a piece of my mind,” and Rintarou had to grab his arm with both hands to hold him down. Or like the times Atsumu would enter a room full of people who’d immediately oggle him, but he’d ignore them all and head straight to him, making his stupid gay heart feel special.

Or like that time he’d called Atsumu in a panic because he’d forgotten to bring materials for chem lab and he was already on campus; Atsumu had come to school late, but he had them. It was a Friday so he'd invited Atsumu over after school to show his appreciation. He’d stared at Atsumu’s sleeping face that night and thought, _‘Are we friends or are we lovers?’_

But then the next morning, they were both woken at an ungodly hour by a phone call from Sakusa. He was only privy to half to conversation, a string of “What’s wrong?” and “Calm down, Omi-Omi,” and then “I’ll be right there, okay?” Atsumu’s voice was soft and indulgent, the way it only was with Sakusa, and he remembered _._

For all that Atsumu may love Rintarou, there would always be someone else he’d love more.

That was evident in the way Atsumu would sometimes go quiet as they lay together in bed. His fingers would be fiddling with Rintarou's hair but his mind would be elsewhere, and he knew he was thinking of Sakusa. He'd wonder which part of their life Atsumu was remembering — the summer they kept visiting the lake? Or the year they were strangely into birds? Sakusa really liked birds, and Rintarou found that funny. Sakusa was such a weird dude.

And back then, he was fine with that. He was fine with being second best. He had Miya Atsumu first, and that was something no one else could say. He was the best friend, and they did everything together, even the most intimate of acts. They’d done things to each other they would probably never tell anyone else because the depravity still made them both blush — no one else could have that.

Sometimes it made him petty, though, like that time he invited Atsumu to go bird-watching, knowing it would upset Sakusa. He didn’t know what he was thinking, passively involving himself in this war. But it simply _irked_ him every time Sakusa would look at him as if he was wishing he’d just disappear. Like he was an annoying gnat.

It was a hopeless battle from the beginning. So when Atsumu asked him if they were exclusive, dread took root in his stomach, and he knew then and there that it was the start of the end. He forced himself to stay casual and say, “No? We aren’t together. Don’t tell me you caught feelings.”

“Shut your trap, I’m just making sure, because some girl is propositioning me.”

“Have fun, then.” He was starting to feel cold. It was almost winter after all. He’d had three seasons with Atsumu, now it was time for their flame to fizzle out in the cold.

He was never meant to be the endgame.

Somewhere in between Atsumu’s soft smiles and warm hugs, Rintarou had forgotten that.

He only had himself to blame.

And so he had front row seats to what Sakusa would later dub as Atsumu’s Whore Phase. That was the most accurate description of it — it seemed like Atsumu slept with anyone with two legs. It would be funny if it weren’t so painful. Not just because it hurt seeing Atsumu come to him with bruises and scratches from someone else, but because it hurt to see Atsumu clearly _in pain_. He was acting out and lashing out; he was pushing everyone away, even Rintarou; he was letting his performance in volleyball slip.

And he just _knew_ it was because of Sakusa and Osamu. Ever since their kiss by the campfire, the two have been attached at the hip. Atsumu did tell Rintarou about Osamu’s determination to go after Sakusa, and at the time, it hurt to hear.

But all these months with Atsumu made him forget about it. He didn’t realize that it was the opposite for Atsumu — the wound just festered. Rintarou wasn’t enough to heal it, and he’d been too caught up in Atsumu to see it.

He’d been playing his lover when he should have been playing his best friend. He was a shitty person.

With a heavy heart, he went to the one person who could save Atsumu.

“So,” he began, bravely looking Sakusa in the eyes. “I’d totally get if you hate me, but I want you to know it’s not like that between me and Atsumu.”

Sakusa stared back at him with what could only be deep hatred. But he only said, “Okay.”

Where did this man get his control? Was he made of stone? Rintarou would believe he was heartless, if he didn’t see the utter devastation on his face whenever Atsumu would flirt with someone else, or slip away with them to god knows where. Those were the only moments Sakusa showed weakness, and he had no idea.

After a while, he could no longer stand the emotion in Sakusa’s eyes and he averted his. “I might be asking for too much but...Sakusa, I think you should talk to him.”

“And why would I do that.”

“He’s — spiraling. I’ve tried to talk to him but I think he’s at a place only you or Osamu could reach.” It hurt him to admit it, but he had to do what he had to do.

“What’s wrong with him?” Let it be known that Sakusa Kiyoomi was the densest motherfucker on the planet.

He just replied, “That’s not something I should tell you, so _please_ talk to him.”

Whatever Sakusa told Atsumu, it did the trick. He had that power, really. A wave of his hand and Atsumu was — maybe not _fixed_ , but at least functioning. That was how it always was, from what Rintarou had witnessed over the years. Sakusa would say ‘jump’ and Atsumu would say ‘how high’; he’d pout and Atsumu would offer him the world; he’d ask for something and Atsumu would bend over backwards to get it for him. Sakusa could say the dumbest thing and Atsumu would gaze at him like he hung the stars; he could commit murder and Atsumu would hide the body and whisk him halfway around the world to hide.

How could he still _not know_?

 _Osamu_ knew. There was heartbreak in his eyes whenever Sakusa’s mask slipped while watching Atsumu. He wondered what went on between the two of them, but didn’t bother to ask. He had his own problems to worry about.

Why couldn’t they just love the right person?

If Rintarou had been a little less selfish, he would have locked the two of them in a room and made them confess their feelings for each other.

But he never claimed to be a good person.

If he did that, he’d lose Atsumu, and he wasn’t ready for that.

It was his biggest sin.

**Chapter 4**

Things changed when Atsumu got a girlfriend. Her name was Kitiara, and Rintarou wanted to laugh because she was basically what Sakusa would look like if he was a girl. Were they _blind_?

Rintarou couldn't care less about Kitiara. He cared more about losing Atsumu. He’d known this day was coming eventually, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. So he asked for one last night with Atsumu, and boy did Atsumu make it count.

They must have fucked each other on every possible surface in the house, in every conceivable position. Atsumu did everything Rintarou liked in bed, and he wanted to cry because what he wanted most was for Atsumu to stay, but that was impossible. So he didn’t ask for it.

Right before he left the next morning, Atsumu grabbed him into a bear hug.

“Hey, I’m gonna miss this, Rin,” Atsumu murmured. “So much.”

“Me, too.”

“Do you know, you probably saved me?” Atsumu cupped the back of Rintarous’ head and pressed a tender kiss on Rintarou’s forehead. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he choked out. He was relieved when Atsumu turned around and hopped out his window, the way he’d done a hundred times before. But this was the last time, and Rintarou couldn’t help the tears as he watched him jog away.

He watched with wet eyes until he was out of sight. Atsumu never once looked back.

\--

He was alone on the rooftop. It was lunchtime; Atsumu was with Kitiara and Sakusa was nowhere to be found.

He didn’t think their high school days would peter out this way.

And then there were footsteps and he looked up to see a tired-looking Osamu.

“Mind if I join you?” Osamu asked, lips quirking up into a smile. It was smaller than he was used to, but it still held the old boyish charm that used to set Rintarou’s heart into motion.

Now, though, all he felt was vague misery. “Sure.”

They ate their lunch in silence. They only had weeks of school left, and Rintarou was not ready to say goodbye. But all good things come to an end, don’t they? Why did that have to happen?

“You loved him, didn’t you?” Osamu asked out of nowhere.

Rintarou whipped his head to stare at him, heart pounding. He didn’t speak.

Osamu gave him a sideways glance. “Atsumu. You loved him.”

He supposed Osamu would recognize the face of someone who was hopelessly in love with someone who’d never love him back. Feeling a bit of kinship, he replied, “Make that present tense. Yeah.”

“Ouch.”

“And you love Sakusa, don’t you?”

“Seems like everyone knows. But yeah. We’re stupid, aren’t we?”

Rintarou snorted. “The stupidest. How could that be? I mean, compare to those two idiots, we’re technically smarter, aren’t we? And yet…”

“And yet,” Osamu agreed. “We’re here at the rooftop the four of us used to hang out in, only there’s only two of us now, and all of us are heartbroken one way or another. A part of me finds this funny, really.”

“Same. Imagine if those two just talked and got together earlier. I mean, no offense, Samu.”

“None taken. Omi-kun already rejected me, and I know exactly why.” Osamu sighed. “What’s with my brother, huh? Why are you all hung up on him?”

“I ask myself the same thing, only about Sakusa.”

“It’s always those two,” Osamu muttered. “Why? They’re a menace. They’re monsters.”

“But there’s something beautiful about that, isn’t there?”

“Yeah,” Osamu said miserably. “So beautiful.”

They were silent for a moment.

And then Osamu asked, “So why didn’t you try? With Tsumu. I mean you were practically already...I dunno. Something. Why didn’t you push it further?”

“Because that wasn’t what he needed from me,” he answered quietly. “He needed his best friend.”

“Then you’re a whole lot more selfless than me.” Osamu handed him a handkerchief and he stared at it confused. Then he realized he had tears dripping down his cheeks.

“Shit,” he said. He took the handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. “All I’ve done lately is cry, this is fucking ridiculous. I disgust myself. It wasn’t like we were together.”

“But you still had him somehow. That’s something.”

Not enough. It will never be enough. “Why couldn’t it be you? You have the same face.” He remembered saying the same thing to Atsumu and laughed at the irony. “Do you know, I used to like you?”

Osamu blinked at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. For a while actually. But then…”

“The whirlwind that was my brother took over your life?”

“Basically, yeah. Either way, it spelled heartbreak for me. Didn’t really matter which twin, you’re both in love with the same guy. Sakusa fucking Kiyoomi.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be _sorry_ ,” Rintarou scoffed. “He makes you happy anyway, doesn’t he?”

Osamu smiled a little. “Yeah. I’ll never regret loving him. And a part of me will probably always love him, but I hope to heal from it one day.”

“Do you think…” he hesitated. “Do you think maybe we should have...done something?”

“About Tsumu and Omi?” Osamu thought about this. “There were times when I thought...that I should. Say something. Anything. But I’m not a good person, Rin. I’m selfish. If I did, then I’d lose Omi.”

Rintarou absorbed this. “Guess we’re both bad people.”

“Guess so.”

It dashed whatever goodwill had briefly surfaced between them. The rest of their lunch was spent in heavy silence.

\--

Separating from Atsumu felt like ripping off a limb, especially because he intended on disappearing. He needed to get out of this cursed town. He needed to get Atsumu out of his system.

His resolve wavered when he saw Atsumu looking heartbroken. He knew the heartbreak wasn’t because of him, but rather because of Sakusa, who had refused to follow Atsumu into professional volleyball. Instead, Sakusa was running away to Tokyo, and didn’t tell Atsumu until after graduation. In Atsumu’s eyes, this was betrayal in the highest order. If Sakusa had wanted to break them, then he succeeded.

He felt bad for planning the same.

Atsumu saw him off at the station. When it was time to part, Atsumu looked down, toeing the ground.

Heart clenching, he gently said, “Hey. What’s that stupid face for?”

Atsumu looked up at him with a pout. “You’re all leaving me.”

“I’ll just be in Tokyo, drama queen.”

“But it won’t be the _same_.” Atsumu looked ready to cry now. “No more climbing into your window. No more late night conbini runs.”

“We have to grow up sometime, Tsumu.” Tragic it may be.

“Well, yeah but…” Atsumu heaved out a big sigh. “I’ll miss you, I guess.”

A lump formed in his throat. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll miss you, too.”

“Call every day?”

“Sure.” _Liar_ , his brain accused him. _How could you lie to him? How could you break his heart? You promised yourself you never would._

After a hug that lasted a second too long, they parted. Rintarou hopped on a shinkansen to Tokyo, and watched his old life slip away.

It was time for new beginnings.

**Chapter 5**

It wasn’t easy, waning off their friendship. He didn’t want to cut Atsumu off the way Sakusa did; he wanted it to happen quietly, so quietly that Atsumu wouldn’t notice.

Luckily, they were both busy with volleyball. He told Asumu that practices with the EJP Raijin were intense, which wasn’t a lie, but he overstated it. Atsumu’s messages slowly started to go unanswered, and Rintarou watched his phone ring with his calls, feeling shitty every time he let them die.

What did Atsumu even need him for? Already he was gaining attention. He had joined the MSBY Black Jackals and he was based in Osaka. And he had Kitiara. Currently, they were doing long distance, but they were still together; they had plans of moving into an apartment at some point in the near future.

Rintarou felt like their relationship was a sham, because only one of them was truly in love, but he never voiced that out loud. Maybe he should have, because if there was anyone Atsumu would listen to it was Rintarou, but he’d long made peace with the fact that he wasn’t a good person.

And then, to make matters more interesting, he was teammates with Komori Motoya, some boy they’d gone against in Nationals at some point.

Rintarou had known he was a skilled libero, but he definitely didn’t know he was Sakusa’s _cousin_.

Komori had walked into their sharehouse one night, chattering about his dinner with his “cousin Sakusa,” and Rintarou had jerked his head up and demanded, “ _What_?”

Komori blinked at him. “What?”

How many Sakusas were there in Tokyo? “Did you say your cousin Sakusa?”

“Yeah, like your old teammate,” Komori said, as if he should have known.

He supposed he should have, but he and Sakusa didn’t really talk outside of their old group. If it was mentioned before, he definitely wasn’t paying attention. Overtaken by curiosity, he asked, “So, how is he?”

“Fine, I suppose.” Komori hesitated. “He looks kinda...I dunno. He’s hiding something. He seems kinda off.”

 _Oh, if you only knew_ , he thought.

Komori studied him. “Do you know anything?”

He was simply not in the mood to delve into all that drama. He shrugged. “No.”

Time and distance _did_ help. Nothing would erase Atsumu from his heart and body, but at least he was learning to accept that. He was learning to be amused with that. His best friend was really unknowingly leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him, it was unbelievable.

But while he was learning to be okay, Atsumu was apparently self-destructing. _Again_.

He knew something was wrong when Atsumu called and it rang exactly once, before it was aborted. He frowned down at his phone and shrugged. It was easier this way.

And then Atsumu stopped texting completely, stopped even replying to his harmless messages — the kind that went “Look at this new restaurant I like” or “I ate too much spicy food my asshole is dying” — and even when Rintarou finally tried to call, Atsumu didn’t pick up.

He felt uneasy, but told himself this was what he’d been trying to do. So he left it alone.

He shouldn’t have.

He got the call from Sakusa of all people. Bemused, he picked up. This was a first.

“Rin,” Sakusa said. He sounded out of sorts, upset. Sakusa didn’t call him _Rin_ , he called him _Suna_. This was a slip. Atsumu must have always referred to him as Rin with Sakusa. “Rin, you have to go to Atsu.”

“What?” As far as he knew those two weren’t talking. “Why?”

“Didn’t you watch his game? He dislocated his elbow.” Sakusa’s voice wobbled. “They carried him out in a _stretcher_. The Jackals forfeited the game.”

He was already moving, mind going through what he had to do. He had to tell his coach he was going away for an emergency. He wasn’t a starter yet, so he could afford to miss the upcoming games. It wouldn’t earn him any points but this was an _emergency_. “I’m on my way.”

Early the next day, he took a shinkansen to Osaka. During the ride, he called Kitiara — he learned that she broke up with Atsumu a couple weeks ago, that they’d been fighting for months before that. He called Atsumu’s parents and learned that he hadn’t been talking to them either. He realized that Atsumu hadn’t been okay for some time, probably not since graduation. Hell, he hadn’t been okay since that _stupid kiss_ between Sakusa and Osamu.

How could things get this bad? Was it because he wasn’t there?

He and Kitiara arrived at Atsumu’s apartment at the same time, which was a good thing, because she had a key, and he didn’t. They entered to find Atsumu passed out on the floor beside his own vomit. There was a bottle of wine near his hand. It looked empty.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. Why, Atsumu, _why_?

Kitiara gave Atsumu a bath and Rintarou went out to buy food. During the walk, he tried to make sense of things, but he wasn’t in the right mind for it. He was brimming with worry and guilt.

He stayed in the apartment, making himself as small as possible while Kitiara and Atsumu talked in hushed voices. It looked like they were setting their differences aside. For now, anyway. That, at least, was fixed.

Kitiara had to leave come nighttime, because she had to make up for the work she’d abandoned. When she left, Atsumu went to bed and Rintarou followed him.

He sat on the edge, facing Atsumu. “What have you done to yourself, you idiot?”

Atsumu shrugged miserably, tugging the blankets up to his chest, not meeting his eyes.

He sighed. “Hey, sorry I haven’t been there. I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Atsumu said.

“But that’s no excuse for not talking to you.” Guilt threatened to choke him. He nudged Atsumu’s arm with his knuckles. “Sorry. Really.” _You have no idea how sorry._

“Can you stay, Rin?”

“Of course.”

He made to get up, meaning to sleep on the couch, but Atsumu held onto his sleeve. “No, here.”

How could he refuse? Atsumu was giving him those puppy dog eyes that should be illegal for the power they hold.

So he kicked off his shoes and shed all of his layers except for his undershirt.

“Jeans, too,” Atsumu said. “That won’t be comfortable.”

Did he know how he sounded? He was killing Rintarou. But he obeyed, and soon enough he was slipping in bed beside him, exhaustion kicking in.

“Thanks, Rin.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I missed your stupid face.”

He smirked. “Thought you said I was pretty.”

“I regret that.”

He laughed, turning to his side so he could study Atsumu’s face and found brown eyes gazing back. This was the first time they were seeing each other in person since separating at the train station. That was nine months ago.

Atsumu had clearly lost some weight. He had dark circles under his eyes, which were lifeless, and his hair was limp. Rinatarou couldn’t help the way he reached out and cupped his sunken cheek. His heart whispered, _How could you leave him? He needs you._

“Look what you’ve done. You’re ugly now.”

Atsumu smacked his hand away. “Fuck off, Rin. I hate you.”

He laughed again. He’d missed Atsumu, too.

They talked quietly into the night, conversation coming easy. He didn’t remember falling asleep.

He woke up slowly the next morning, wondering what was different. And then he felt the muscled arms wrapped around him and the broad chest that his back rested against. His tired heart started racing until he was wide awake, and then it skipped a beat when Atsumu murmured a name and kissed the back of his neck. The touch felt like a brand for the way it burned through his skin.

He wondered how life could be so cruel, dangling Atsumu in front of him like a carrot, knowing full well Rintarou could never reach him.

He never had a chance. That year he’d had with Atsumu was nothing but stolen time. Atsumu was meant for someone else, he knew that now. And Atsumu might be lost right now, but he was heading in a single direction.

Because the name he murmured wasn’t “Rin,” wasn’t even “Kit.” It was “Omi.”

**Chapter 6**

But of course Atsumu had to make it difficult for everyone by getting _engaged_. To _Kitiara_.

When Atsumu called to tell him the news, he smacked his face and groaned quietly. How could Atsumu be so _stupid_?

He knew that their relationship improved when they got back together at the peak of Atsumu’s big breakdown. In fact, Rintarou was convinced that Atsumu learned to really love her. Four years have passed since they all graduated from high school, and in total, the couple have been together for five years now. The pain of that had settled down to a dull ache, easy to forget most days. He took solace in the fact that Atsumu was _fine_. He was happy with Kitiara.

But that was before Sakusa decided to finally follow Atsumu to the MSBY Black Jackals. 

A part of Rintarou saw it coming. Sakusa always followed Atsumu, always. Sometimes it took some needling, sometimes it took some time. But he always did. It took him four years, this time, but Rintarou could understand needing to find himself — he admired Sakusa for actually following through and cutting everyone off. He succeeded where Rintarou failed.

He wondered if Sakusa was better now. Maybe, but he sure as hell wasn’t over Atsumu, if he followed him to Osaka. Why would anyone jump right back in the pan when they’ve successfully managed to take themselves out of it? Knowing how absolutely bratty Sakusa could be, Rintarou suspected he was jarred by the news of the engagement, and his entire being just revolted at the thought of Atsumu marrying someone else. He was there for a reason. Rintarou was mildly excited to see how everything would play out.

But Sakusa disappointed him, because when they all finally reunited in Amagasaki for the week of the wedding, _nothing has changed_. Sakusa was still a pining mess, Atsumu was still engaged.

Osamu looked better though. They eyed each other, unsure. They haven’t seen or talked to each other for five years. Sakusa, too. It seemed they had all avoided each other like the plague.

The three of them awkwardly started playing Uno Stacko in the Miyas’ living room. He was hit by a wave of nostalgia — they used to play like this, all four of them, in this exact same spot. Before everything turned into silent war after silent war.

And then their missing piece finally showed up. They all turned their heads to look at Atsumu standing by the doorway, carrying bags and staring back at them, surprised.

Then Atsumu grinned, and the room immediately brightened, the tension breaking. “What the fuck are you guys doing here?”

Rintarou said, “Uno Stacko. Duh.”

“I’m gonna drop my shit in my room.”

“Our room,” Osamu corrected.

The twins had a bit of a stare down, and Rintarou thought, _Uh-oh. This was going to be a problem, wasn’t it?_

And he was right.

He should have known. He should have known that bottling everything up would result in it exploding in all their faces. Years worth of hurt and betrayal and unaddressed fights was suddenly bared for all to see, and it just had to happen at the dinner rehearsal. The only good thing about it was that Kitiara, her family, and her friends had all left. But not before hearing Sakusa’s very telling speech, _holy shit_. He might as well have said, _‘Miya Atsumu, I’m in love with you.’_ Even though he didn’t say the words, it was in his very tone.

What in the world was he thinking? What in the hell was _happening_?

The twins were going at it, screaming at each other the way they used to do in the Inarizaki gym. _This brings me back,_ he thought, even as he tried to hold back Atsumu. Especially when their old captain Kita Shinsuke and ace Ojiro Aran got in between the twins and stopped the fight.

And then even Sakusa lost it, finally snapping at Atsumu about the “constant torment” and “hell” that Atsumu had been putting him through since they were fifteen, and he had to stop himself from saying, _‘Mood,’_ or _‘Same.’_

When it was all over and everyone had left, Rintarou was tipsy. He’d downed too many glasses of wine throughout that disastrous dinner, and shit, his sexual affair with Atsumu was even exposed by that idiot Osamu.

His words echoed in Rintarou’s mind: _‘You’re part of the problem.’_

And he was _right_. Rintarou could have done the right thing anytime in the past five or so years, but he didn’t, because he’d been clinging to the hope that he’d have Atsumu for himself. But look where they were now.

He was drinking wine straight from the bottle now, and he was getting steadily dizzy. He didn’t care, it was better than trying to deal with all of this mess.

Because Atsumu was _still_ determined to marry Kitiara.

Just how dumb could this guy be? _Someone_ had to be happy, and it wasn't going to be Osamu and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be Rintarou. Was Atsumu and Sakusa really throwing away this once in a lifetime kind of love? Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? They loved each other _so much_ that it spanned time and space, years and distance. They kept trying to undo it, but it was impossible — they were a part of each other, whether they liked it or not.

Rintarou’s jaw ached from all the teeth-grinding he’d been doing. He was so _frustrated_. He wanted to shake Atsumu, wanted to bash his head against the wall. _Make my pain worth it by being happy, damn it_ , he wanted to scream.

Instead he asked, “Tsumu, are you doing this because you love her or because you owe her?”

He got his answer when Atsumu kept his mouth shut. He sighed and left him to it.

And then Atsumu — beautiful, vexing, brilliant, idiotic _Atsumu_ — said the wrong name at the altar.

He screamed internally and tried his very best not to burst out laughing — the dude whispers Sakusa’s name in his sleep, Rintarou wasn’t the least bit surprised that he would say “Kiyoomi'' in his vows, too. But he still couldn’t believe it was happening.

And as things fell apart around them, he approached his best friend, who was frozen. He mentally took a snapshot, committing him to memory. They were 23 now, and Rintarou could only hope that this was the peak of Atsumu’s good looks, otherwise the world wouldn’t survive him. He was beautiful, even though he was crying. Rintarou’s heart did a broken little flop in his chest.

And then quietly, he said, “Atsumu, just go.”

Because Sakusa was leaving. He was at the train station _right now_. Rintarou had to give Atsumu the news right before the wedding started, and that must have shaken him into making this truly terrible mistake.

“He’s waited long enough for you, don’t you think? He doesn’t know it but he’s waiting for you now. Can you really deny him?”

That seemed to strike at something inside Atsumu, like Rintarou knew it would. Because Atsumu could never, ever say no to Sakusa. He would give him the stars if he could. Thinking of Sakusa waiting for him now, like he’d been doing all these years, was probably tearing him apart.

And then Atsumu ran. In a blink of an eye, he was gone.

 _Miya Atsumu, I’m letting you go_ , he thought. _You were my best and worst mistake. I’ll never regret it._

Osamu was staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

“That was noble of you.”

Ah. So Osamu could still see right through him. “Am I that obvious?”

“Nah,” Osamu said. “I just know the face people make when they’re in love with my brother.”

“He never saw it, did he?”

“No,” Osamu said with a sad little smile. “Tsumu only sees what he wants to see.”

“And he never wanted to see me,” he commented idly.

“Sorry.”

“It’s no one’s fault.”

“You should — if he doesn’t catch Omi at the station, you should be there for him. I’m sorry, Rin. But he’d be happier to see you than me.”

“Right,” he sighed. His job as the best friend wasn’t over yet. It was not the time for dramatics.

He walked as fast as he could to the station, and when he got there, he immediately wanted to turn back around.

Because Atsumu and Sakusa were outside, kissing like they were the only people in the world.

He couldn't move. He could only stare. It was like finally placing two puzzle pieces on their correct spot after forcing them to fit with the other jagged corners and curves.

Soft little sobs were leaving his mouth, and he sealed his lips shut in an attempt to hold them in. But he couldn’t do anything about the tears. He didn’t know if he was crying from the overwhelming pain or the overwhelming happiness, because _finally_. He might have been a casualty, but he’d watched these two for years, and he knew there wasn’t a greater love than theirs. It eclipsed everything in their path. Atsumu and Sakusa deserved this. After all the pain they suffered through, it was time they tasted happiness.

As Rintarou dragged his feet to turn around and walk away, he thought he might actually believe in soulmates. What else would explain that? How could two people go through so many detours and still find each other in the end?

He really was silly for trying to get in the way of fate. But he was relieved; for the longest time, he’d felt guilty for never trying to help them get together, knowing what he did. Now he knew they were always going to end up right beside each other. That was how it started and that was how it would end.

His footsteps got lighter and quicker, gaining speed until he was running. And as he ran, he _breathed_.

**Chapter 7**

The days after the the disastrous wedding were their own brand of torture. He and Osamu stayed in town to help with damage control, because it truly was one big giant mess. The twins’ parents were highly stressed, pacing around their house, swinging between disbelief and resigned amusement.

When they were all taking a break in the garden for some fresh air and some mango shake, Rintarou had to watch Atsumu hold Sakusa like _he_ was the one who needed comforting. Atsumu’s large hand rubbed Sakusa’s back and his eyes closed as he pressed kisses on those _damned moles_. Atsumu loved Sakusa so much, it was bordering on disgusting. And naturally, Sakusa basked in the attention. Did he know the power he held?

Rintarou didn’t think that Atsumu could be like this. It made him ache. And as his eyes strayed towards Osamu, he could see the other man wasn’t entirely unaffected. There was an old pain in his eyes.

When the lovebirds went inside, Rintarou asked, “Even now, huh?”

Osamu gave him a sideways glance and said, “Look, I’ve made peace with it all, but it’s hard to unlove someone you’ve loved your whole life, okay?”

“I suppose you have a tougher time of it,” he allowed.

“Hmm.” Osamu stretched his legs across the grass. “Nah. It’s not about the time, is it? I’ve loved Omi-kun for longer than you’ve loved Tsumu, but which of us is more in pain right now?”

He wondered if he should take offense. He’d forgotten that Osamu could be as blunt as his twin sometimes.

“I’ve been wondering, Rin,” Osamu began, and Rintarou knew he’d be asking tough questions again. “Why didn’t you just...leave? You were almost there. You went to Tokyo, but it doesn’t look like you really left him. You could have, you know? If you did, maybe you wouldn’t be so…”

“What?”

“Utterly destroyed?”

Rintarou snorted. That was one way to describe him. Then he turned serious, a little hopeless. “How could I leave him? He needed me.”

Osamu looked at him, eyes gentle. “Not anymore.”

He glanced back to watch Atsumu and Sakusa through the doorway. Despite all the wrong things happening around them right now, they looked at ease together, and Rintarou knew they’d be just fine.

“No,” he said. “Not anymore.”

\--

He skipped town after Atsumu’s wedding — the second one, the real one, with the right person this time.

Rintarou had been planning it for a while. Because while he was happy for Atsumu and Sakusa, there was something about it being so _final_ that his heart couldn’t take.

He didn’t know why. Atsumu was never his. But it felt like he was losing him all over again, anyway.

The timing of his departure shouldn’t raise suspicion — he’d learned in the wake of Atsumu’s first wedding that his dumb best friend was still under the impression that he was in love with Osamu. He almost laughed, especially with the way Sakusa’s eyes widened. He wanted to scream, _‘You’re wrong, idiots, you have no idea!’_ Thankfully, he managed to control himself. He simply avoided their eyes and shrugged, scared that they would see.

He told Atsumu that an Italian professional volleyball team was recruiting him, and that was true. He was unsure about the offer at first, but he’d said yes without hesitation. It was his ticket out of the hellhole he kept himself in.

Atsumu and Sakusa saw him off at the airport. He got a backbreaking hug from Atsumu — he only got stronger (and more handsome) over the years, which was unfair — but before he could leave, Sakusa said, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Sakusa gave Atsumu a glance that seemed to say, _‘Go away,’_ and Atsumu shrugged and left, giving one last wave and a “Call when you land!” to Rintarou.

When he was out of earshot, Sakusa said, “I feel like an idiot. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out.”

“What, that you loved him?” he asked, confused.

“No, that _you_ loved him.”

Rintarou stared at Sakusa, wide-eyed and speechless.

“And,” Sakusa hesitated. “I know what that’s like. And I’m sorry, Rin. I know why you’re leaving, and I know we probably won’t hear from you much from now on. I wanted to say...thank you, for taking care of him all these years. I’ll do what I can to take care of him as well as you did.”

He swallowed down the tightness in his throat and failed. He was starting to have a hard time seeing through blurry eyes. He whispered, “It was the worst thing, loving him. And the best thing. You get it, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I just need to go away for a while.”

“I know.”

“You don’t need to worry about taking care of him. You know him best. Better than I ever did. You’ll be just fine. And he’ll be just fine, even without me, because he finally has you now.” His heart was breaking one last time. After this, there’d be nothing left. Just broken pieces on the floor.

Sakusa leaned forward and caught his eye. “You’ll be just fine, too.” And then he smiled.

And Rintarou finally understood the appeal. Like this, Sakusa was glowing, almost ethereal. They were 26, but Sakusa looked frozen at 20, fresh-faced and bright-eyed, while Rintarou felt like he was 40. _You did good, bro_ , he thought at Atsumu. And he didn’t even feel bitter about it.

“Yeah,” he said. “I will.”

**Epilogue**

He picked up the last of his luggage from the carousel, and brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen from his ponytail and onto his face. He was excited to be back home in Japan, but all the airport hassle was such a drag.

He was exhausted from the long flight, and he still had to take a few trains just to get to his childhood home. His mother would be waiting for him — their relationship mellowed over the years, and she was the first person he was visiting.

He hadn’t told anyone else that he was back. He thought he’d like to surprise them.

He wondered if Atsumu would be happy to see him or if he’d receive a fist to the face. Rinatou didn’t keep in touch with him, or with anyone, after he left. Although, after over two years in Italy, he did start sending monthly postcards to Atsumu. He never signed them, but he thought the lame jokes and stupid puns he’d written at the back were enough to give him away. He smiled as he remembered.

Theirs was a beautiful friendship that had to end so it could start anew. Rintarou was ready now.

A piece of his heart would forever be Atsumu’s, but he was in a place in his life where he could give away the rest of it to someone else. Aside from that leftover broken piece, he was fine. He could _finally_ say he was fine.

In fact, at 31 years old, he was thriving. He was freshly retired and ready for a new adventure. He had a long life ahead of him still.

He dragged his suitcase behind him as he made his way out of the airport.

He didn’t expect a familiar voice to call out, “Rin?”

Stopping in his tracks, he looked up to see none other than Miya Osamu. He grinned reflexively, startled. “Samu?”

“Holy shit, it _is_ you.” Osamu dragged his own suitcase as he approached slowly. “Back from Italy, huh?”

“Yeah. It was fun, but it was time to go home. You?” He eyed Osamu, who looked like he’d also just disembarked a plane.

“Ah, yeah, I was just overseeing some business overseas. Onigiri Miya.”

Right, he did see that Osamu’s store was gaining popularity internationally. “That’s great,” he said honestly.

“Your hair is so long,” Osamu said, staring.

He touched his head self-consciously. He’d grown it out over the years, and it now reached past his shoulders. He usually kept it in a ponytail.

“And you’re so tan,” Osamu added.

“Yeah, well. It can get sunny in Italy.” He ran his eyes over Osamu. “You look different, too. Good. You look good.”

And he did. Clearly, the Miyas aged like fine wine. Osamu’s hair was thick and dark and messy, probably because of the flight. His facial features had matured but there wasn’t a hint of a wrinkle, and Rintarou didn’t know how he could own a restaurant chain and still be fit, but he managed it.

But it was his eyes that caught Rintarou’s attention. They were light, unburdened, and so, so gray.

“I can’t believe it.” Osamu laughed a little. “Suna Rintarou. How long has it been?”

He remembered meeting Osamu for the first time when he was fifteen; he had said his name like that, too. Rintarou couldn’t help but smile. It had been _sixteen_ years since then, but that wasn’t what he was asking. “Five years, give or take.”

Osamu smiled back. “Well, it’s nice to meet you again.”

“It’s nice to meet you again, too.”

A new adventure, huh? He was ready for it.

**Author's Note:**

> Who was the anon who requested a fic based on "Paubaya" by Moira? O ETO NA!! At si Kira na nagrerequest ng martyr fic ETO NA RIN. Bahala kayo diyan


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